Based on Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s novel by the same name, Amazon Prime’s Good Omens has raised few eyebrows, and most recently, some pitchforks. According to Variety, a group called Return to Order created a petition against the show due to its portrayal of good and evil, most specifically the voice of God being a woman (voiced by Frances McDormand) and the Antichrist as being a child. However, the petition, signed by over 20,000 people, addressed the wrong streamer, calling for Netflix to remove the show rather than Amazon.
This led to much cajoling on Twitter, especially from those involved in the making of the series.
“I love that they are going to write to Netflix to try and get #GoodOmens cancelled,” Gaiman tweeted. “Says it all really. This is so beautiful … Promise me you won’t tell them?”
According to the petition, “This series presents devils and Satanists as normal and even good, where they merely have a different way of being, and mocks God’s wisdom.” The petition added: “Please sign our petition, telling Netflix that we will not stand silent as they destroy the barriers of horror we still have for evil.”
Since the news broke that the petition was misdirected at the wrong streaming service, the Christian Return to Order website has updated their petition to address Amazon instead of Netflix. The update included an apology, as well as a new goal of 35,000 signatures:
Due to an oversight by Return to Order staff, this petition originally listed Netflix as responsible for the offensive series “Good Omens.” Amazon Video released the series on May 31. We regret the mistake, and the protests will be delivered to Amazon when the campaign is complete.
This wasn’t the organization’s first time fighting against the media. Back in April, the group also created a petition for Walmart to discontinue selling what they termed “Satanic products.”
Netflix responded to the petition, joking that they would raise their white flag.
Amazon Prime reciprocated this surrender, vowing to cancel Stranger Things.
Based on the book by the same name, Good Omens focuses on an angel named Aziraphale (played by Michael Sheen) and a demon named Crowley (played by David Tennant). Their goal is to prevent the Antrichrist from bringing on the inevitable apocalypse. Jon Hamm also makes an appearance as the archangel Gabriel, and Michael McKean, from Better Call Saul, plays a witch hunter. The first season of Good Omens is available now for streaming on Amazon Prime.